Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bolt operated rifles and particularly to short bolt operated rifles.
2. Description of Related Art
For years, the Mauser operated rifle has been the standard firing mechanism for civilian hunting weapons. This rifle has an action that is simple to operate and reliable to use Despite these advantages, it has some drawbacks. First, the action uses a long bolt. The length of the bolt forces the barrel to be shorter than it could be. This is due to weight and overall length of the rifles. The second drawback is the operation of the bolt. In this action, the bolt has a small handle The handle must be rotated between 60 and 90 degrees, then pulled back the full length of the bolt to load a shell in the chamber. Then the bolt must be pushed all the way back into the firing position. Finally, the bolt handle must be rotated back between 60 and 90 degrees to lock the bolt in place for firing. These movements were designed to prevent gun jamming. Because the Mauser was designed as a military weapon, troops under fire often caused gun jamming by moving the action too quickly. The Mauser design prevented this by making the user slow down the action. Since then, military weapons have become fully automatic, and the need for the Mauser action has disappeared. The action has survived in civilian rifles, however.
Since the invention of the Mauser action, other efforts have been made to improve the speed and efficiency of this action. Some examples are found in U.S. Patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,456 teaches an improved breech bolt mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,749 teaches a straight pull bolt action rifle that uses a pivoting handle and a cross pin to release the bolt, unlike actions that turn the bolt to release it. U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,988 teaches a bolt locking system that uses lugs and grooves to lock the bolt in place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,963 teaches a double barrel bolt design. U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,369 teaches a system whereby the bolt diameter is reduced when used in a short throw action. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,677 teaches a non-rotating bolt. Despite the differences between them, all these patents have one thing in common-a full-length bolt. Full-length bolts have been used since the first bolt action rifle was invented.
Unlike the patents discussed above, the instant invention is a rifle that has a short bolt. Using the short bolt enables the barrel length to be increased. Increasing the barrel length increases the velocity of the bullet. For example, in a typical rifle, such as the Remington 7 mm magnum model 700, the overall length is 44.5 inches. This rifle has a 24-inch barrel and a 7xe2x85x9c inch bolt. If the bolt length was reduced from the 7xe2x85x9c inches to 1xe2x85x9c inches, the barrel could be increased from 24 inches to 30 inches with no increase in weight. The increase in bullet velocity coming from the longer barrel length increases both the range and accuracy of the weapon as well as the impact energy of the bullet.
The short bolt design is also easier to operate. Instead of having to rotate the bolt handle, the bolt handle is simply pulled back and pushed forward. Loading of the cartridges is also simplified. The design includes a loader mechanism that ejects spent cartridges and loads a new cartridge at the same time. All this is done while the bolt is drawn back and pushed forward in one easy motion. The bolt action includes a rotating lock to secure the bolt in the firing position. This lock is released when the bolt catch is rotated out and the lock rotates by sliding along a cam. After the lock is released, the bolt can be pulled back. The process is reversed when the bolt is moved forward.
A second version of the action uses a pistol grip. Here, a lock holding the pistol grip is released. After it is released, the user just pulls down and back on the grip. This causes the bolt to rotate, unlock and withdraw. The spent shell is then ejected. When user then pushes the handle forward and upward, a new shell is loaded, the bolt is seated and locked. The gun is then ready for firing.
A safety mechanism has been designed for each type of action.
This action can easily be adapted to fully automatic actions, such as those used by the military.